By Elena Armas
A Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas is your typical enemies turn lovers romance novel. It was also very funny; therefore, I would categorize it as a rom-com as well. The main characters, Catalina and Aaron, are both engineers who work at the same company in New York City. They do not have a friendly relationship until Aaron offers Catalina his help with a work event and with her family. Catalina is desperate for help and, despite her worries, decides to take Aaron up on his offer. As they spend more time together, Catalina begins to see Aaron differently.
What I loved…
I don’t think I have ever loved a main character as much as I loved Catalina. She was intelligent, funny, intense and exciting. The way she interacts with other people and the way she starts babbling in awkward situations was hysterical. The thoughts that went through her head are even more entertaining than the things she ends up saying out loud. Throughout the book, we see her begin to understand her true worth by accepting her shortcomings, acknowledging her successes and loving herself.
We are introduced to even more hilarious characters when meeting Catalina’s family in Spain. Her family was loud, intense and funny. I could have read a whole book just on Catalina and her family. All the chapters involving the Spain trip I read in one sitting, it was just too funny, I couldn’t put the book down!
The love story between Catalina and Aaron was predictable, but I still really enjoyed it. They are pretty different, so reading about their interactions at work and their slow progression to falling for one another was amusing. However, I feel that they fell “in love” a bit too quickly, but it made for a good story.
I also liked how Armas included some real-world connections to this story. She wrote of the difficulties a successful female engineer would have in a predominantly male industry. Catalina’s career obstacles would have been different from Aaron’s or any of the other male engineers. The sexist comments she receives from one of the male co-workers show the difficulties that some women may face in their work environment. I think the inclusion of these subplots added some realness to this story that I thought was important.
Minor things I didn’t like…
The book was way too long. The beginning sections that showed the hatred Aaron and Catalina had for one another lasted forever. I found myself skimming through some of these initial interactions. I would have preferred the beginning section to be shorter and the parts where they’re in Spain to have been longer. There was so much build-up to their trip to Spain, and then I felt like the Spain trip came and went too quickly!
Final remarks…
In the end, despite its length, I could not put this book down. I enjoyed reading it, and I was sad when it ended. I would highly recommend reading this book.
Where to find the Author…
Turning Pages with Trish 
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